Portfolio

LED Ring

Challenge: Our customer needed to design an LED Ring assembly used to detect the placement of a wafer at an input/output station located between two separate areas of the tool.

Requirement: Provide wafer locating capabilities for 300mm wafers within an envelope of 15.5" x 15.5" x 0.8" using an LED ring while also providing system interlocking via sensors to prevent robot collisions.

Result: Blue Ridge Systems designed an assembly that meet all of the requirements while fitting in the required envelope.

Lower Frame Docking Assembly

Challenge: Design a quick dock and undock frame system for a piece of semiconductor equipment weighing 750 lbs.

Requirement: Repeatability and docking time directed the design approach. Repeatability needed to be +/-.005". While, docking time had to be less than 1 minute. In addition, the docking assembly had to be seismic compliant with SEMI S2-0200.

Result: Blue Ridge Systems designed a docking system which achieved all of the customer requirements. The design approach consisted of a semi-kinematic docking design which recognizes the over-constraint. The over-constraint is overcome by the flexibility in the supported frame. This approach slightly sacrifices accuracy, but not repeatability. Lastly, to dock and undock, an operator only needs a single tool to turn one screw. The jack screw not only achieves docking but also clamping to ensure seismic compliance.

Projects

Cassette Loader

Challenge: Redesign a cassette loader that rotates a wafer cassette 90 degrees without causing damage to the wafers.

Requirement: The design had to accommodate many different size and weight cassettes and pass stringent industry ergonomic standards. Additionally, we had to reduce cost. Cost reduction was made particularly difficult due to the requirement of mirror finished stainless steel.

Result: Blue Ridge Systems built 40 of these units in pilot production. We achieved the cost target by reducing the number of parts, simplifying each part, and eliminating the need for welding. Cost was reduced by 30%.

Disk Process Equipment

Challenge: Design of a disk processing tool while utilizing existing process technology. Additionally, the design required a small footprint with a limited packaging envelope.